As a confidence and lifestyle coach and agency owner, I’ve got multiple PAs and VAs and fully understand the amazing work you do! You are the backbone of the people and organisations you serve, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently, and mine certainly hold me and my business together!
But there are unique challenges, and when it comes to standing out in crowded interviews and showcasing your best self, it can be a little uncomfortable and easy to feel overwhelmed.
So here are my top tips to help you build confidence, get hired, and present yourself with the ultimate poise and professionalism!
1. Embrace Your Unique Strengths and Weaknesses
We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and for good reason! It’s what sets us apart from one another and gives us our unique value. Many choose to focus on their weaknesses but we should instead be focusing on our strengths and capitalising on them.
The more you do this, then the more confidence you’ll build within yourself and the more energised you’ll feel which makes things far less of an uphill struggle; furthermore the weaknesses then become irrelevant anyway!
With our natural negativity bias we can too often overlook our successes and mainly focus on our failures so take 30 minutes out today and just reflect on your accomplishments and remind yourself of the positive impact you’ve made at work and in life. This self-awareness is the foundation of your confidence and it’s a great habit to get into. Ideally make this an exercise you do for 5 minutes every day, ideally in the morning for that confidence boost!
When you analyse your strengths and weaknesses you’ll likely notice that there’s a direct correlation between your strengths and perceived weaknesses – meaning you wouldn’t have a certain strength if you didn’t have it’s corresponding weakness – so don’t be hard on yourself, welcome it all and have confidence in your unique abilities!
2. Craft a Unique and Compelling Personal Brand
Your personal brand is what sets you apart from others. It’s how you present yourself, your values, and your identity. Take time to define what makes you unique and how you want to be perceived by others.
A great exercise is to ask others how they perceive you. Reach out to 5-10 people (both in your professional and personal network) and ask them what they know you for, what 3 words would they use to describe you, and what they believe you value the most in life and why. We can believe we are coming across one way but people may be interpreting what we say, do, and show in other ways so this exercise will help highlight areas you may need to work on – this could be anything from your action, conversation and communication, to your body language, personal image and choice of clothing.
Writing a personal branding statement that captures who you are and what you bring to the table is a great exercise to help you identify your strengths and unique capabilities as well as your passions and values. It helps you get clarity of your unique value and will help you craft a much better CV, LinkedIn profile, and “personal pitch” during interviews.
3. Master the Art of Presentation
Within the first seven seconds of meeting (whether that’s on or offline) people will have a solid impression of who you are — and some research suggests even a tenth of a second is all it takes to start determining traits like trustworthiness.
So how you present yourself can significantly influence others’ perceptions of you.
This involves both your appearance and your delivery and communication.
Choose outfits that make you feel confident and powerful. Don’t be afraid to express your personality through your clothing – contrary to popular belief you want to stand out and not blend in! But keep your style consistent and make sure it is a true reflection of who you are and the character of which you want others to perceive you as.
Don’t forget the smaller details like neat hair, balanced makeup, and polished nails. These small touches can make a big difference in your overall presentation and communicate the type of person that you are such as organisation and mindset.
Body Language speaks volumes! We subconsciously pick up on cues from other people so again, ensure you are portraying the confident and capable person you are! Stand tall, make eye contact, and use open gestures – exude confidence but remain approachable. Pay attention to the pace at which you speak and communicate clearly but remember to engage people with enthusiasm when you do and don’t be afraid to express passion and excitement.
Recording yourself delivering a presentation (or just chatting to camera) and playing it back is a great tool to see how you come across and identify areas to work on with regards to your body language and voice. Practice makes perfect so make adjustments, re-record, and do this regularly to build your self-confidence and assurance each time.
4. Preparation is Key
Preparation will significantly boost your confidence with everything in life! So whether you’re currently going through an interview process or looking to gain new clients then do your diligent research on the company or individual, understand their needs and think of ways you can address them specifically. Prepare your own questions to ask as this shows genuine interest and also people love to talk about themselves and appreciate being listened to.
5. Cultivate a Positive Mindset
Your mindset plays a crucial role in your confidence levels. Incorporate daily practices of journaling, exercising, and just general self-care and make it non-negotiable! You can’t support others to the best ability unless you support yourself first.
Approach conversations as opportunities to showcase your skills and learn about others rather than as “tests” you must pass. Visualising things going well in advance is a powerful tool to gaining the outcome you want, and so id keeping your mind in check with positive self-talk – we all have minds that like to wander down a negative path but you do have the ability to refocus it and it get’s easier the more you practice doing it. Something as simple as writing down 5 things you are grateful for every day can be a really powerful mindset shift.
6. Leverage Your Network
We get so much further ahead with the support of others than we can by ourselves so invest time and energy in your network and leverage it. Dedicate time each week to continuously building your network by not only expanding it but also maintaining quality relationships with the people who are already in it. Join relevant professional groups, attend in-person events, and participate in discussions to expand your network.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your professional connections for advice, mentorship, and potential leads – people love to be of service, it makes them feel important so you’ll likely get a good response.
You can also reach out to others to ask how you can help them – if you help others they will naturally be inclined to help you too!
Remember collaboration over competition so always connect with other EAs, PAs, and VAs too!
7. Seek Feedback and Learn
After an interview, seek feedback regardless of the outcome. Constructive feedback can provide valuable insights and areas for improvement. Remember, every experience is a learning opportunity.
Action Step: After each interview, jot down what went well and what you can improve. Use this to refine your approach for next time.
Remember, confidence is a journey, not a destination. By embracing your strengths, crafting your personal brand, mastering your presentation, preparing thoroughly, maintaining a positive mindset, leveraging your network, and learning from each experience, you’ll not only stand out in interviews but also grow into your most confident self.
I hope you’ve found these useful; if not brand new information then helpful reminders!
